At this year’s TEDxDelft, held at the Delft University of Technology in The Netherlands, the focus was on big ideas and engaging activities. The team transformed an academic building into a mutli-level event experience — with exhibits and activities culled from the Delft community and TEDx speakers.

At the event, attendees could bond over old school arcade games, learn about rocket science with the Delft Aerospace Rocket Engineering group (DARE), (virtually) spraypaint the digital graffiti wall, try on a smart jacket, or dare to complete one of the many “TEDxDelft Challenges” designed to spark discussion and new ideas.

“Our activities were geared towards keeping the audience engaged during the breaks,” says TEDxDelft curator Caryn ‘t Hart. “There were a range of activities with varying levels of participation. If someone wanted to be really involved, they could take part in something more active like the TEDxDelft challenges. If they wanted to observe a bit more, then there were plenty of stands where they could simply watch demonstrations.”

Attendees play arcade games in the foyer of TEDxDelft (Photo: TEDxDelft)

A speaker from a 2015 TEDxDelftSalon contributed a batch of his recyclable camping tents — waterproof, two-person cardboard tents designed to reduce waste at music festivals and campgrounds. Attendees were invited to hang out in the tents and discuss the talks or just take markers to and leave their signature on the cardboard.

A visiting TEDx’er from TEDxGhent poses in a TEDxDelft tent (Photo: TEDxGhent)

The breaks also featured opportunities to get involved in the TEDxDelft game — a series of challenges thought up by TEDxDelft and their engagement partner, Dutch creative team Subatomic. “[The game] gave the audience a chance to interact with us, other audience members, and the speakers as well — and then get rewarded for their participation,” Hart says. “The players can choose quests that range from tweeting about TEDxDelft to introducing two attendees to each other.”

And when attendees weren’t watching talks or completing challenges, they were testing out the digital graffiti wall, playing vintage arcade games, or — during one of the breaks — playing a round of pub quiz designed by a local craft beer specialist, Craftd.

“[Craftd] has held pub quizzes before, on a smaller scale, and we thought it would be a fun side-event, since one of our speakers spoke on the idea of using beer breweries as a clean facility for surgeries in less-developed countries,” says Hart. “The quiz was really successful. We probably had triple the amount of attendees that we planned for, and some guests said it was the perfect side-event because they were beer lovers themselves. The winners went home with some craft beer prizes and the badge of honor of winning the quiz.”

Pub quiz at TEDxDelft (Photo: TEDxDelft)

An attendee tries out the graffiti wall at TEDxDelft (Photo: TEDxDelft)

TEDxDelft’s arcade parlor (Photo: TEDxDelft)

And, lastly, what would a TEDx event be without cake? Check out TEDxDelft’s below:

TEDxDelft closed out the night with a celebratory cake (Photo: TEDxDelft)

About TEDx Innovations

TEDx Innovations is a blog celebrating creativity and innovation in TEDx communities around the globe. From design to tech to social activities, the TEDx Innovations blog highlights the best of the best worldwide.
To learn more about TEDx, visit www.ted.com/tedx